Reykjavik, Iceland 🇮🇸 

For the second time this summer we were in Reykjavik.  Reykjavik means Smoking Bay.  It was settled by Vikings from Denmark in 874.  The country of Iceland sits on the mid Atlantic ridge.  The main industry used to be fishing, but currently it is finance, banking and tourism.  Reykjavik is the most Northern capital city in the world at 64 degrees N.  The Arctic Circle is at 66 degrees N.  The country of Iceland attained it’s full independence from Denmark in 1944.

After 2 sea days we were ready for our “Volcano Exploration” tour.  We were in one of the super jeeps, with 42″ tires.  Our first stop was a lava tube.  We drove out of the city for about 40 minutes.  We were on the Reykjanes Peninsula.  The landscape was amazing.  There were lava fields covered in grey moss, which actually had a yellow color to them.  We headed toward a mountainous area that our guide, Bernie (his Icelandic name was too hard for us to use) said was part of the island that was the oldest.  They were not very tall mountains but were beautiful to view.

After donning helmets we walked down a path and then climbed down into an area that was the entrance to the lava tube.  Bob went with the group into the tube, but Bette saw the jumble of rocks she would have to climb down and stopped at this point.  According to Bob, it was a neat experience.  It was dark and cool, with some water dripping from the ceiling.  The way in was narrow with a low roof at some points, but then it would open up.  They went in about 100 yards.  Bob said when they turned off their headlamps it was really, really dark.

We then went “off road”.  We were actually on old unpaved roads but the ride was fun.  Up and over small hills and splashing through wet areas.  Our guide explained that you are not allowed to just go anywhere you want, because the government is protecting the land, the vegetation and natural beauty of Iceland.  There are big fines if you destroy any land and even plants.

The next stop was at a black sand beach on the shore of Lake Kleifarvatn.  The lake was huge.  Our guide told us that about 10 years ago an earthquake in the area opened fissures in the land under the lake and it was almost drained dry.  It took about 5 years for it to come back to it’s current size.

We next went to an area with bubbling mud pots and running hot water.  The colors of the rocks and ground were interesting to see.

Then we went to Storaeldborg, a dormant volcano.  There was an opportunity to climb to the top to see the cauldron.  The wind was blowing at 25 MPH or more.  Bob did the climb.  At the top he had a hard time not being blown off!

Then to lunch in Grindavik, a small fishing village.  We had lobster soup and really good brown bread with Icelandic butter.

We then went to an area that was steaming.  Everywhere we looked steam was coming from the ground.  There was also an abandoned bore hole.  This was one that had been used originally to bring the hot water/steam to Reykjavik for heating.  Bernie explained how they use their thermal energy to generate electricity and heat their homes.

And then we were back on the road to the city, passing the Blue Lagoon, now one of the top tourist destinations in the world.

It was a fun and very active day!